The present invention relates to a novel recording method named LIST (Latent Image Injecting to Surface of Toner) method by the inventor of the present invention and apparatus therefor.
Conventionally, a recording method is known, which comprises the steps of applying a graphic signal to a multi-stylus electrode, bringing this electrode near a latent image bearing member to charge or quench the surface of a latent image bearing member to form a latent electrostatic image thereon corresponding to the graphic signal, developing the latent electrostatic image by toner and transferring the developed image to a recording sheet. This method, however, has the following problem: The multi-stylus electrode is in contact with or in close proximity to the latent image bearing member and therefore, if some residual toner adheres to the multi-stylus electrode after image transfer, the toner has an adverse effect on the next recording image. Therefore, it is required to clean the latent image bearing member sufficiently after a visible image has been transferred. However, from the viewpoint of the life of the latent image bearing member, it is difficult to clean the multi-stylus electrode sufficiently.
As a method capable of avoiding the above-mentioned problem, the following method has been proposed: In the method, a counter electrode whose surface is covered with toner, called donor, is disposed so as to face a multi-stylus electrode with a small gap therebetween and a graphic signal is applied to the multi-stylus electrode, while a recording sheet is caused to run between the donor and the multi-stylus electrode, so that electric field passing through the recording sheet is locally generated in accordance with the graphic signal and the toner on the donor is transferred to the surface of the recording sheet by the action of the electric field, whereby a visible image corresponding to the graphic signal is formed on the recording sheet. According to this method, since the recording sheet exists between the donor and the multi-stylus electrode, the multi-stylus electrode is not smeared by the toner. However, the multi-stylus electrode is disposed on the back side of the recording sheet, and thus the clearness of a visible image is reduced as the thickness of the recording sheet increases. Furthermore, since discharging (generally spark discharge) is performed at the multi-stylus electrode, the multi-stylus electrode is corroded so that a long life of the multi-stylus electrode cannot be expected.